<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Grief and Loss by SilverWolf626</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26254279">Grief and Loss</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWolf626/pseuds/SilverWolf626'>SilverWolf626</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dealing With Loss, Grief, Katana, Original Characters - Freeform, Swords, This was a homework assignment., tanto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:26:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26254279</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWolf626/pseuds/SilverWolf626</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the loss of her mother, Bo has always struggle with accepting  it. Her sifu attempts to walk her through her feelings, and help her learn how to move forward and continue her growth.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>n/a</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Grief and Loss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! This is a story about one of my original characters. This story takes place during the era of Avatar Kyoshi. The characters, that are included, are both mine. This was actually a homework assignment, believe it or not. </p><p>Because Avatar: the Last Airbender is based off of multiple cultures, I used a lot of references to Japanese items. </p><p>"Sifu" is the Chinese word for teacher. This term is used often in ATLA. </p><p>I am trying to learn more about the different cultures that are represented in the Avatarverse. I encourage my readers to do the same!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bo had just entered her fifteenth year upon awakening that day. Sluggish, as any teenager would be, she had dragged herself out of bed and dressed herself in the black haori in which her sifu had provided to her upon her first day at the estate. Her long, black hair had been pulled back, and up high into a firm, neat pony-tail. She did not want to risk her hair getting in the way of her duties or practice. On her way to the courtyard, she had taken up her practice blades: the short tanto, and the graceful katana. Sharp, as they were, Bo carried them through the gates and into the clearing, where Sifu Hansuke waited for her. </p><p>	Hansuke had become more than just a sifu to Bo. His name roughly translated to “a very helpful friend”. Bo, after her many lessons, found that he had taken the role of a father figure. Not only had he taught her how to wield multiple different types of blades, he instructed her in the hierarchy of balance between the way of man, and the way of the world. </p><p>	As she approached him, she felt a pang of dread rise in her gut. Her boots made it easier for her to move undetected, but the way in which she shuffled her feet amongst the concrete slabs alerted Sifu Hansuke to her presence. </p><p>	The bald man turned his head over his shoulder, greeting Bo’s blue eyes with his own gentle brown. He saw the way that she slouched forward, the way that her body seemed to quiver when she went down on her knees next to him. </p><p>	“Bo.” He began, his voice calm and assertive. “You must remember what day it is.”</p><p>	His apprentice dipped her head, forcing her gaze towards the ground, “Yes, sifu. I apologize.”</p><p>	It was an anniversary. Not one for which Sifu Hansuke celebrated, but one where Bo was reminded of the fact that she had lost her mother at the age of three.</p><p>	Hansuke pushed himself up from his knees, and walked to stand over Bo. “You have mastered control. You have identified the balance in the world as it pertains to you and the very ground you walk upon.” He knelt down, offering her his hand. “We have never discussed grief. You have kept this from me for many years. I will ask you this, as I have asked you annually. Shall we speak about your thoughts?”</p><p>	Bo sighed, looking out past the blossoming cherry trees and the vibrant colors of the courtyard flowers. “Sifu.” She began. “I… know that I will not be able to move forward with my training until my entire heart is in league with the rest of my self.” She took his rough hand in her own, accepting the help in which he offered to her. </p><p>	“So you remember. The art of the sword is not all about the blade, but about the hands that wield them, and what lives on the inside of the wielder.” He guided her, slowly, down the way. </p><p>	As they walked in silence, the cherry blossoms gracefully fell from the sturdy trees that lined the walk way. Bo hung her head as she moved forward, but the beauty of the nature around her whispered silently in her ear for her to look up. To be aware. </p><p>	“Existence is a cycle, Bo.” Hansuke explained. “A basic cycle on the surface, but underneath, a vast, complicated phenomenon. You have life and you have death. You have rebirth.” He stopped her when they came upon a wilted flower, gesturing towards it. “Death is unavoidable, but, as you see,” He knelt down, and rubbed his hand over the dirt near the wilting flower, revealing a green stem poking out of the soil, “there is always beauty, and hope, that new life will come after.”</p><p>	She frowned. “I’m aware that things die, Sifu. I’m aware that life begins anew. But nothing can bring my mother back. I do not understand what you are trying to tell me.”</p><p>	He brought himself to his knees, completely. “What did I tell you to do if you did not understand something?”</p><p>	She sighed dramatically. “To ask questions.”</p><p>	“Indeed,” Hansuke replied. “What questions have you, for me, today?”</p><p>	Bo leaned down, dropping her backside to the concrete. She rested her elbow on her knee, and her head in her hand. The woman huffed. She thought to herself about what confused her about the situation, and how it made her feel. It took her quite a few minutes before she spoke again.</p><p>	All the while, Sifu Hansuke did not speak. He let her take time to formulate her thoughts. He let her take the lead. </p><p>	“…Why me? Why my sister and I? What did we do that made the universe decide to take our mother?” She could feel the tears formulating at the corners of her eyes. </p><p>	Hansuke reached over to give her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. “You know that there are things we cannot avoid in this world. We will all draw one final breath when the time comes. I will not lie to you, Bo.” His voice expressed great care and honesty, “The universe, fate, destiny? It all has a mind of its own. When you think about whether you believe in such things, look inside yourself, and determine what parts of it you can control. I cannot tell you why you lost your mother. I can tell you this. The world around you,” He gestured towards the sky, “Is an example in itself.”</p><p>	Bo grumbled. She knew that he didn’t have an answer as to why such a horrible thing happened to her family. She just wanted to ask. She wanted to let him know what was on her mind. She knew that he would listen to her, as he always had.</p><p>	“You have lost your mother.” He stated, not to rub it in, but to make a point. “You still walk the earth. You see empires rise and fall. You look upon the interaction in which the environment has with its inhabitants-“</p><p>	“Sifu, please. I know that the world, just by existing, teaches, just like you teach me.” She pulled her knees up to her chest as she stared towards the wilted flower. “How do I… move forward? How do I accept my loss?”</p><p>	He placed his hands on his knees. “You recognize the facts, first.”</p><p>	“My mother has died, and I’m miserable.” She blurted.</p><p>	Hansuke lifted a hand to stop her. “That is fact. Now, you must believe that this fact is just that, a fact. It happened.”</p><p>	Bo sneered. “I know it happened. I’m aware that I will never see my mother again!”</p><p>	“Then you must develop ways in which you can handle your grief, and move forward.” He pushed his hand over his smooth, bare head. “How you handle the emotions in your heart, how you deal with the thoughts and the memories that flood your mind, is an important step in learning to move on.” The old man took a deep breath, and Bo automatically copied his actions. “I am not telling you to forget your mother. By all means, remember everything about her. Remember how she would comfort you, how she took care of you.” </p><p>	As he spoke, the tears in Bo’s eyes fell from her cheeks. </p><p>	“You may be sad, Bo,” He continued, “but when you think of your mother, think back on her with fondness. When someone dies, they leave behind a wealth of memory and experience that is often revealed in their children. Your mother,” He gently placed his hand on her heart, “lives in you, and will always live in you. Do not look back on your loss. Instead, focus your heart on a celebration that she did live. Celebrate who she was, and who you are. You are allowed to be sad. You are allowed to grieve.”</p><p>	She leaned into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders. “I know. I know… It hurts, Sifu. I miss her so much.” She cried into his haori. “I don’t want to feel this way.”</p><p>	He said nothing. He held her close like he was truly her father. He offered silent comfort, and listened with an open mind and an open heart to the words she had to say. He offered no advice, not yet. He let her exhaust herself. He kept quiet until her cries had turned into soft whimpers. </p><p>	“Bo,” He whispered. “Just like this growing flower, here,” He gently nudged her attention to the stem protruding from the dirt, “You will continue to grow. People will fall. Things you love will leave you. But you know that, even though these things are inevitable, you are in charge of your heart, your feelings.”</p><p>	Bo sniffled, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her haori. “A-as I move on…” She started, trembling slightly, “I know that my mother will live on in my memory. I know that it is okay to show my feelings. I will not forget my mother, but…I will continue to grow in her honor.”</p><p>	She took a deep breath, and leaned away from him. She looked between the wilted flower, and the budding of new life next to it. A small smile formed on her lips. The young pupil looked directly at her sifu. “Thank you, Sifu Hansuke. For everything. For listening…and… not denying my concerns.”</p><p>	He dipped his head to her in a respectful bow before standing up. “It is my duty to care for you, and foster your growth as your sifu. Now,” He gestured down the long corridor of pink sakura trees, “Shall we continue?”</p><p>	She beamed, rising to her feet. Bo adjusted the straps on her swords, tightening them, to be sure that her blades would not clatter to the ground. “I’d like for that.”</p><p>	And together, they’d walk down the concrete path, admiring the beauty of the world, and contemplating on their individual place in such a vast expanse of existence.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>